Costa Rica seeks US $1 million in aid for continued care of Cuban migrants

Published on January 22nd, 2016
Written by: Inside Costa Rica Staff
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January 22nd, 2016 (ICR News) Costa Rica is seeking some US $1 million in assistance from the international community and NGOs to assist the country in the continued care of thousands of US-bound Cuban migrants that remain trapped in 38 refugee shelters throughout country.

 

Last week, the first of several thousand Cuban migrants that had been stranded in Costa Rica crossed into the United States under a plan agreed to among Central American leaders.  The deal allows the migrants to be flown from Costa Rica to El Salvador, before being taken to the U.S. border by bus.

 

The airlifts are set to resume on February 4th, but it is expected to take at least five months to complete the transport of at least 5,000 Cubans that remain in Costa Rica on their way to the United States.

 

In calling for international aid, Ivan Brenes, chief of Costa Rica’s National Emergency Commission (CNE) said that the country’s and his institution’s funds were “limited,” and asked for the assistance of governments, aid agencies and NGOs to assist with the financial burden of continued care of the migrants over the next five to six months.

 

The required US $1 million would be used for food, basic services, personal care, and maintenance of the 38 shelters that have been established for the Cubans.

 

The requested amount is based on estimates that it will take five to six months to airlift all of the migrants with two weekly flights to El Salvador beginning on February 4th.

 

Brenes reminded the international community that Costa Rica has spent more than that amount since the crisis began in mid-November, adding that the country does not “have the resources to shoulder the project alone,” adding that the situation could become “critical” without outside assistance.

 

“Remember that this is a matter of human rights, the protection of life,” Brenes said.

 

Brenes said that he has called a meeting next week of United Nations officials, as well as representatives of the International Organization for Migration (IOM), the International Red Cross, and Caritas International (an agency of the Catholic Church that oversees social issues) to seek assistance in addressing the issue.

 

NOT ALONE

 

Costa Rica is not alone in its concern over how to care Cuban migrants and immigrants in what many are describing as the newest “Cuban exodus.”

 

Officials in Miami, Florida earlier this month expressed their concern over the imminent arrival of the migrants, saying that local governments in the Miami area lack funds to provide assistance and welfare programs to the new wave of Cuban migrants.

 


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  • prdatki

    First do not let them land, Screwy Louie and his liberals should buy a barge put the Cubans in it and send them back to Cuba. Florida get the National Guard and shoot them when they set foot on US land. This will slow the Cuban Immigration down a lot !

    • Commenter

      Well said.

    • disgusted

      Extreme measures. Invaders. Cuban or not. However, How about the USA asking the international Community for 10′s of millions in aide and money as well. USA is broke to the tune of 19 trillion and counting.

  • Ken Morris

    We knew this was coming . . .

    Nothing wrong with this bunch of Cubans seeking the American Dream, but they’re hardly the only or even the most deserving ones. As it is, as soon as they set foot on US soil, Uncle Sam’s silly 60-year-old law that auomatically defines any Cuban as a political refugee will force US taxpayers to subsidize their asses. But now, thanks to Costa Rica’s selective understanding of humanitarianism, not only are Tico taxpayers financing their illegal passage but Costa Rica is also passing the plate around to other countries and NGOs in the hopes that they will chip in with funding for the illegal passage.

    Problem is, money is limited, and any of it that goes to subsidize the Cubans doesn’t go to other worthy (and probably more worthy) causes.

    The only acceptable solution to this financial fiasco is if the Cuban-Americans already in the US–the ones who provide the constituency for the policies that privilege Cuban immigrants–themselves write the checks. I want to see loudmouths like Congresswoman Ross-Leighton getting out their checkbooks, and don’t think it would be inappropriate to ask Senators Cruz and Rubio to kick in too. Let the Cuban-American beneficiaries of the privilege pay to extend it to the other Cubans, but don’t make the average taxpayer in either Costa Rica or the US finance this fiasco, and don’t take money from NGOs that have more deserving people waiting for their help.

  • Roberto

    Marco Rubio could hire them as paid staffers and pay their way to Miami.

  • Chris Thomas

    I knew it would not be long before this super corrupt government in CR would start asking for money, the whole thing was a money grabber and publicity stunt as always to maintain fake and phony image of a helpful nation when all it does it is for their own self serving purposes, in all they probably spent 1% of what they are asking but as good Ticos always exaggerate things to their benefit.

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